ephemeral
by Her Pretty Smile
Summary: —should you still be in love with someone who doesn't love you back but changes for a reason that involves you? lyon/juvia. [epilogue: revised the last part a little bit.]
1. prologue

**A/N: **A product of boredom. Forgive the mistakes; this is unbeta-ed.

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**.;~`-`~;.** **ephemeral-prologue**** .;~`-`~;.**

_written by Her Pretty Smile_

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**.;~`-`~;.**

I NEVER BELIEVED IN happy endings. Even now.

Happy endings aren't real; that's what I tell myself. Everybody dies in the end. Everybody doesn't get to be together forever or even get to experience forever.

That's why there is no happy ending in this world.

At least, that's what I'm forcing myself to believe in.

I met this girl. This beautiful, jovial girl who swept me away and made me into someone I didn't know I could be. It was puzzling; I didn't know that one girl could make me change so much. I used to think that I could live without love, that I could manage through life by just doing the things that I want to do.

But I guess I was wrong.

My name is Lyon. Lyon Vastia. And I'm in love with a girl who can never love me back.

This is why I said I don't believe in happy endings.

**.;~`-`~;.**

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**END **_of_** PROLOGUE**


	2. chapter one

**A/N: **Another product of boredom. Enjoy.

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**.;~`-`~;.** **ephemeral-chapter one**** .;~`-`~;.**

_—Should I Stay?_

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**.;~`-`~;.**

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_Three months ago…_

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I WAS LATE FOR class; I was running down the hallway with my books in hand, panting heavily from the slightly strenuous early morning exercise. Beads of sweat rolled down my brow, and I wiped them off using the back of my free hand.

Somehow, ventilation today wasn't doing much for me.

After a running a bit more, I finally reached the door to my classroom. Breathing in deeply, I turned the knob and pulled the door open, bracing myself for a lecture about tardiness.

But the latter wasn't what I got.

The next thing I knew, _her_ body stumbled towards me, and, acting reflexively, I caught a hold of her wrists, steadying her. My books fell to the ground due to my sudden action, but I paid no attention to them. All I saw right now was _her_, nothing more.

My guess was that she was about to open the door at the same time I did. That was why she was caught off-balance.

Surprise flashed in her eyes, then realization. She twisted her hands out of my grasp, and it was all I could do not to flinch.

_Ouch_. She obviously didn't want me to touch her.

Shrugging it off, I bent down to the floor and picked up my books. Some papers were strewn about, and I had to place them back between the pages of my History textbook. It was hard to make myself seem indifferent with her around, but I had to. She didn't give me much of a choice.

A thought occurred to me at that moment. "Hey," I said casually, looking at her with masked nonchalance. "Don't we have class?"

She had been about to leave when I suddenly asked. Stopping herself for a moment, she replied curtly, "No, we don't. Ms. Diedermayer's absent today." And with that, she left, her footsteps reverberating inside my head as I stood up straight.

I smiled dryly. _Cold as always, huh, Juvia?_

**_._**

.;~`-`~;.

**.**

"YOU REALLY HAVE TO let her go, Lyon," Lucy said to me, her eyes serious. "Just look at what she's doing to you."

"Why?" I asked, my tone simply uncaring. "What's wrong with me?"

"You're so quiet nowadays," she remarked, sipping some of her orange juice. "And you get that sort of haunting mixed with longing look in your eyes. Don't think that I haven't noticed that."

I threw my tennis ball into the air and caught it easily when it fell down. "Perceptive as always, Lucia," I muttered.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, not really minding my calling her by her pen name. "Look, if you don't—I mean, if you _can't_—let go of her, then at least just talk to her about why she's being this way to you."

I stopped playing with my ball. "What do you mean?"

She looked smug, apparently satisfied that she had gotten a real reaction out of me. "Talk to Juvia. I know her. She doesn't behave like that to anyone. Heck, she's really nice and sweet to me. You probably did something to make her be like that to you."

"I didn't do anything," I said, feeling slightly indignant. "All I did was just… I don't know, _pursue _her? So what the hell's wrong with that? If she doesn't like me, then she could've just rejected me or something."

Lucy, suddenly looking troubled, ran a hand through her hair. She always did that when something was weighing on her mind. "That's why I said that you two need to talk," she said adamantly. "The you right now… To be honest? It scares me."

I looked at her. "It scares you? Why?"

"Because it feels like the Lyon I grew up with is now a different person." She stood up. "You'd better talk to her today. She was slightly on edge when I saw her, like something big is troubling her."

Her words processed slowly inside my mind. I stood up, too, and patted her shoulder awkwardly. "Are you and… Natsu doing all right?"

I felt her stiffen. "No," she replied a bit sharply. "He's being unreasonable lately. I don't want to talk to him today."

"You do know that his parents are getting divorced, right?" I reminded her.

"I know." And with that, she walked off, leaving me in a thoughtful state.

**.**

.;~`-`~;.

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I WAS LEANING AGAINST the wall when I spotted her walking towards my direction.

"Juvia."

She eventually stopped in her tracks and turned to look at me, her eyes stony. "What?"

I unhitched myself from the wall. "We need to talk."

I thought I saw a flash of fear in her eyes, but as quickly as it came, it disappeared. Shaking my head mentally, I convinced myself that it was just my imagination.

"No," she said finally after a few moments of silence. "We have nothing to talk about."

A seed of suspicion planted itself inside the pit of my stomach. "We do have something to talk about," I said in a low, wary voice. Then I took a step towards her.

She stepped back. "No, we don't."

I arched an eyebrow. "Why are you stepping away from me?"

"Because we have nothing to talk about."

There it was again. The flash of fear in her eyes. I didn't understand why she was so afraid of me. I hadn't done anything to her.

At least, not anything that I knew about.

"Seriously, Juvia. We need to talk." I stepped closer to her.

She stepped back again. "Don't come near me," she warned.

I stopped. "Why are you so afraid of me?"

She looked at me in surprise. "Afraid of you?"

"Yes. You act like you're afraid of me." I took a step towards her again as a gamble. "Why?"

To my surprise, she didn't move. "I'm not afraid of you, Lyon," she said almost softly.

The way she said my name made my heart stop for a moment. _So she does know my name_, I thought wryly. "Then what are you afraid of?"

Apprehension filled her features. "I… I can't tell you."

I was about to question her more when we suddenly heard a thundering sound. My head jerked towards the transparent doors leading to the outside, and I saw that it was raining. _Hard_.

Damn it. I didn't have an umbrella with me.

"I'd better go," she said almost hastily, producing an umbrella from her bag. She then proceeded to walk towards the doors, but stopped when she considered something. She turned her head slightly towards me, her eyes questioning, but I could see the reluctance shining in them.

"You…" she began uneasily. "Do you have an umbrella of your own?"

_It's like she can read my mind_. "No," I said, honestly puzzled as to why she was asking me this. Was my expression_ that_ obvious?

I stared at her as she seemed to be battling with her emotions; her internal struggles led me to think the unbelievable. I shook my head, not wanting to assume, but it was hard not to.

"All right," she said stiffly as she walked over to me and reluctantly grabbed my arm. "Let's go."

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"To the bus stop," she replied curtly. "That's where you always go after school, right?"

I was legitimately surprised by that. I didn't expect her to know that detail of me. She didn't seem to be the type of person who would remember something concerning someone like me.

I even thought she'd hated me.

Was I wrong?

She opened the doors and gasped when the angry raindrops splattered across her blouse. Hastily, she opened up her umbrella, shielding both of us from the ravaging storm.

"The weather forecaster didn't say anything about this," I muttered under my breath as I held the door open for her to comfortably pass through.

She swept past me, but the floor was slippery. For the second time that day, she lost her balance, her umbrella dropping to the floor. Instantly letting go of the door, I held her roughly by the waist, effectively preventing her fall.

I arched an eyebrow. "Really? Twice in one day?"

Her eyes narrowed, and at that moment, I let go of her abruptly and picked up her umbrella. I didn't bother to look at her face as I returned it to her. It was disconcerting still; four days ago, she was fine. Completely fine. She even gave me a small, shy smile and let me borrow her notes. But now? She's like a completely different person.

A person whose heart had turned cold.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?!"

I turned towards the source of the harsh, ominous-sounding voice that sent a chill down my spine. It wasn't because of the coldness coming from the rain, it wasn't because I saw the look on her face, and it definitely wasn't because I was afraid.

A sense of foreboding swept over me like a tide when I saw him; he looked very, very familiar.

Terror flashed in Juvia's eyes. "F-Father," she fumbled frantically. "I-It isn't what you think. He… He just—"

"Enough. I wasn't talking to you, woman!" He grabbed her by the wrist, and her expression implied that it hurt. A_ lot_. "You are so _stupid_! Why in the hell was I given such a _slut_ for a daughter?!"

Something snapped inside of me. I stepped towards the man, glaring at him. "Sir, even if you _are_ her father, that doesn't give you the right to hurt her."

Juvia stared at me, incredulous. "Lyon, don't—"

Her father let go of her with such force that she was pushed away and then proceeded to grab me by the collar of my shirt, his glare intensely dark as he lifted me slightly from the ground.

"You insolent little brat," he spat, a murderous look crossing his face. "If you dare talk to me like that again, I will rip you into tiny little bloody pieces and throw you into the nearest creek. The same goes for when you touch my daughter again. Understood?!"

I stared into his eyes unflinchingly. "If that's the way you deal with things, then I guess you're living such a charmed, unfortunate life."

"Lyon!" Juvia said, looking terrified.

I stared at her in shock. It was the first time in four days of her ignorance and aloofness towards me that I saw her looking so—

A searing pain shot up in my right cheek, and I could faintly taste the metallic blood in my mouth. _Ow_, that freaking _hurt_. What the _heck_, dude?

"Father, stop!" Juvia placed herself between me and him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Don't waste your time with someone like him. He's not worth it. He's just a crappy guy I met. Let's just go and leave him."

Ouch. Somehow, her words hurt more than the punch her father delivered to my face.

But then, to my surprise and utter revulsion, his face softened, looking pleased by her biting articulation. "Good, good. Now you're starting to sound like me. Now let us go home and leave quickly."

She hesitated only for the briefest of moments before taking her father by the arm, though her movement caused the sleeve of her uniform to lift up slightly, revealing a dark-purple bruise.

As I watched them walk away with an incredulous expression on my face, the revelation came to me like a flying arrow shooting my heart.

_Juvia, what the hell?_

She was being abused by her father.

**.;~`-`~;.**

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Too fast? Sorry. I just wanted to get this over with. This story will have 4 chapters all in all including the prologue and the epilogue.


	3. chapter two

**A/N:** Mango, I got bored again, so here it is. XD

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**.;~`-`~;.ephemeral-chapter two.;~`-`~;.**

_—Say You Don't Love Me_

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LUCY WAS AGHAST. "WHAT are you saying, Lyon? No. That's impossible. Juvia's father is a good man. I met him once and he was really hospitable to me!"

I looked at her levelly. "With that kind of attitude he showed to her? And that bruise? No, Lucy. It's all so painfully obvious." Letting out a frustrated sigh, I threw my tennis ball into the air again with so much force that it flew at an almost indiscernible height.

She was silent for a moment, contemplating my words in her head. She didn't want to believe it, I knew.

But reality isn't all just a fairytale.

"All right," she said just as I caught my ball. "If… If it _is_ true, then we should report this to the principal."

I was silent for a moment. I really did consider that thought once, but I didn't know what Juvia would do if her father would be put behind bars. She'd live alone, work, pay for the bills… and many more.

She was only seventeen.

I voiced these things out to Lucy, and the look in her eyes told me that she hadn't considered them in her mind at all. I knew that she was only thinking about Juvia's safety, but reality came crashing in on us and we both didn't know what to do.

No wonder Juvia kept quiet about this.

"But why is she like that to me…?" I wondered aloud, absently playing with a strand of Lucy's hair.

"Maybe you should talk to her again about that," Lucy suggested.

"I can't." I let go of her hair and averted my gaze towards the sky. "She's avoiding me. It's a lot worse than before."

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Let me talk to her, then."

I looked at her. "You don't really need my permission," I reminded her wryly.

"Right." She stood up from the bench she was sitting on and started to walk away.

I stood up, too. "Wait. _Lucia_."

She stopped walking and turned to me with a puzzled look on her face. "What?"

I went over to her and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Thanks."

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.;~`-`~;.

** .**

FOURTH PERIOD ENDED, BUT I was too lazy to go out of the classroom.

"Lyon?" a voice inquired.

I turned my head towards the source. "Hey, Natsu. What are you doing here?"

Natsu sat beside me, his eyes probing and speculative. "I heard about Juvia from Lucy."

"She told you?" I arched an eyebrow, "Are you two good, then?"

"…No," he said quietly. "I want her to get away from me. Avoid me. It's the best thing I can do for her."

"Why do you keep pushing her away, Natsu?" I asked patiently.

"Because—"

"Lyon."

My eyes widened slightly. I knew that voice.

Apparently, so did Natsu. Standing up quickly, he gave me a wave and walked out of the room.

_Traitor…_ I thought dryly.

Silence lapsed in the surroundings.

I was the first one who broke the tension. "What is it, Juliet?" I asked, referring to her by her pen name. Then, standing up and walking over to her in a slow pace, I decided to make use of this moment to challenge her. "I thought you'd made it clear by your actions that you didn't want anything to do with me. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Don't call me that." Her voice was steady, but her eyes betrayed her.

They were filled with apprehension.

"What, you mean _Juliet_?" I was close to her now. "That's your pen name, isn't it? The same pen name which you gave me three months ago."

She took a step back, her stance wary. "Actually, what do _you_ want? Lucy told me you wanted to talk to me," she said in a straightforward manner, ignoring my words.

"All right, then. I'll make this quick." I stopped walking, standing right in front of her. "Why are you like that to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Five days ago, you were your own normal, sweet self. I loved you like that, you know. You were always so honest with your feelings, and you liked doing what you think is right. But then one day, you changed. And when I mean changed, I mean that you've become a different person overnight. You became cold. Aloof. Hard." My eyes narrowed. "What the hell happened to you, Juvia? Did I do something to you? Is that it? Or has it something to do with the fact that you're being abused by your father?"

Her eyes went impossibly wide. "How did you know that?"

"You want to know how I know that? It's because of _this_." Grabbing her arm, I lifted up her sleeve, revealing the dark-purple bruise I saw there the day before. She flinched at the contact, but her face filled with fear when she realized that she'd been careless and caught red-handed.

Gritting her teeth slightly, she pulled away from me, her eyes blazing with anger and indignation. "This is none of your business, Lyon."

"Oh yeah?" I said in a challenging tone. "Then answer me this: how did you get that bruise?"

"I… I fell," she replied lamely.

"…Uh huh."

"Just… Just leave me alone, Lyon. My life has nothing to do with yours." She stepped away from me, her eyes glued to the ground. "And the reason why I was so cold to you… is because my father told me that he would kill any guy who tried to get close to me or who tried to pursue me. He meant it. I know he did. He never lies." She took a deep breath. "I wanted you to get away from me, but you didn't."

I stared at her, my brain processing all this information in a turtle-like pace. "What…?"

"Please. Just forget about me." Her expression was desperate. "It's the only way you can live."

Silence met our ears after that, but after a few moments of contemplation, I spoke up.

"So all that… all that was just for me…?"

She lowered her head. "I… yeah. I mean, I _do_ talk to everyone else normally. Just… Just not you."

I took a step towards her. "Juvia," I said slowly. "You can end this, you know. You can just report it, and everyone will surely make sure you'll be safe. And I'm not doing this just to make you talk to me. I just… I just want you to be happy again." Letting out a pained sigh, I started to walk past her, then stopped when I considered something. "You know… if you do this and after that you won't have any place to go, you can always stay with Lucy. Her house is big, and her family's pretty well-off. You know that she will welcome you there with open arms."

She said nothing, but I knew that she was contemplating that decision in her head.

"Also… you're right. I should forget about you."

She stiffened in surprise.

I answered the silent question in her mind. "It's because you changed me too much, Juvia. So much that I don't know myself anymore."

And with that, I walked past her after making the most difficult decision in my life.

**.**

.;~`-`~;.

** .**

WHEN I WAITED AT the bus stop, I heard rapid footsteps approaching, and out of curiosity, I glanced to see who it was.

"Lyon!"

I couldn't move. It was like I was rooted to my spot, and all I saw right now was her. Her long hair being blown by the wind, her shiny eyes, her voice…

_"Hey there. My name's Lyon. Lyon Vastia."_

_"Nice to meet you, Lyon. I'm Juvia. Juvia Lockser."_

_"You know what? I think this is love at first sight."_

_"…I… I beg your pardon?"_

"Lyon!" Juvia cried again, panting as she ran over to me.

"What's the matter, angel?" The words just slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.

_"Hey, you know what? You look just like an angel."_

_"H-Huh...?"_

_"I know. I'll call you that from now on."_

"Why did you follow me?" I continued on. "Your father could see us and he'll—"

"I don't care about that right now," she cut in sharply. Then, slowing her pace, she walked over to me and stopped just before she could get any closer. "Lyon, I just want to say that I'm sorry."

I blinked. "Juvia, you don't have to say you're sorry," I told her softly. "I already forgave you."

"I know I've caused you pain. I know that I've changed you into someone so different from the one I met six months ago. I know that you must hate me right now, just that you're too kind to say it to my face." She sounded breathless. "But I just want you to know that I love you, but not the way you want me to. I do care about you, but maybe it's just not enough." Hesitantly, she reached out towards my face, but stopped just before she could touch it. "And I… I want to thank you. All this time… you loved me unconditionally, and I feel like I don't deserve you. But I do want to be friends with you."

I stared at her.

She held out her hand, and on her face was the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. "Can we start over again?"

I looked at her outstretched hand, then at her face.

I relented. "Okay." I shook her hand gently. "I'm Lyon Vastia," I said softly, feeling like I'd been reeled back to the past when we first met.

She looked so relaxed and comfortable at that moment. "I'm Juvia Lockser."

I lowered my head slightly, my lips curling into a bittersweet smile. "Nice to meet you, Juvia."

**.;~`-`~;.**

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**A/N:** The next chapter's the epilogue. The fast pace this story has is sooo cool. XD


	4. epilogue

**A/N:** The last chapter. The last part's just revised a little bit.

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**.;~`-`~;.ephemeral-epilogue.;~`-`~;.**

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THREE MONTHS HAVE PASSED and I still don't know what to make of our relationship.

She wanted (and still does) to be friends. I agreed, but ever since that day in the bus stop, I can't seem to help myself. I've created an invisible barrier between the two of us, and I'm unconsciously distancing myself from her. I know that it isn't fair to her, but unfortunately, life has no rewind button to change the past.

Nowadays, she smiles more often and laughs melodiously like an angel. She'd reported about her father to the police, about the abusive things he'd done to her ever since she was little. Her father was declared guilty and is currently behind bars. But then Juvia also found out that his abusing her was only the catalyst; Mr. Lockser had killed a person which he said he'd done because he was defending himself. However, a witness had come up and told the truth, that the person was only trying to pass him by and that he suddenly snapped and threw his head against the wall. He'd been lucky enough that there were no witnesses… yet.

Now she's back to her normal self, the particular one I love about her. The pain she left in my heart isn't fading away, so unless I resolve this, she and I… I think the two of us can never be the same again.

"Lyon?" Lucy inquires, looking at me levelly. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," I reply absently. "By the way, how is she? Is she doing okay?"

Lucy nods. "Yeah, she is. My parents constructed a new bedroom made especially for her. She's overjoyed about it and is trying to repay them by making them a meal."

"Did they like it?"

"Uh…" She averts her gaze. "She, uh… burned the kitchen down in her first attempt."

I blink, and then an uncontrollable urge swells up inside me and I start to chuckle. "W-Well… Th-That's a little…" I manage to say.

Lucy suddenly grins.

"W… What? Why are you smiling at me like that?" I suddenly feel a bit flustered. "It's a little creepy."

The grin instantly fades from her face. "Are you insulting me?!" She attempts to hit me on the shoulder, but I grab her hand before she can, smiling all the while in amusement.

"You know…" she suddenly says in a soft voice. "You're starting to become a bit like your old self." A smile graces her features. "I'm glad."

I'm about to tell her that she sounds like a really creepy old mother when a voice interrupts, "Lyon?"

I turn to the source, gently letting go of Lucy's hand. "Juvia?"

She walks up to me. "Can we talk for a moment?"

I place my hands inside my pockets uncomfortably. "Yeah, sure. See you, Lucy."

Lucy gives me a meaningful wink. Then she mouthed, '_Good luck_'.

I turn to Juvia. "So what's up?"

She fidgets slightly. "Um… Do you, uh… still have… uh…"

I arch an eyebrow. "What is it…?"

"Do you… still have feelings for me?"

The question catches me off-guard, not because of it alone but because of the way she said it. "I… yeah," I fumble. "Why do you ask?"

She takes a deep breath. "I think… I'm going to try to love you."

My eyes widen in shock as I realize the implication of her words. "What? No. Absolutely not. I will not force you to do anything you don't want to do."

"But I could at least try," she argues weakly. "I mean, you've helped me a lot. Isn't it just right that I should bear feelings for you even if it's just a little?"

"But you don't bear feelings for me," I point out. "Forcing yourself will do nothing."

"But I think I am starting to like you a little," she says defensively. "I'm not joking, Lyon. I mean it," she adds when she sees the look on my face.

"Juvia." I walk closer to her until we are only inches apart from each other. From this distance, I can smell the faint scent of her rosy perfume. "I don't want you to force yourself. If you don't love me, then you don't love me. That's that."

She gives me a knowing look. "Then how am I supposed to know that I don't love you if I don't even try?"

"Juvia—"

"Lyon." Suddenly she wraps her arms around me and pulls me close. "Shut up."

I shut my mouth, not because she told me to, but because I instantly realize that she was telling the truth.

Maybe there's still hope for me to have a happy ending after all.

Even if it's not a real ending and even if it's only ephemeral.

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**.;~`-`~;.**

**ephemeral - lasting for a very short time.**

**.;~`-`~;.**

**THE END**

**.;~`-`~;.**

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**A/N:** And that's it. The end. :) I like the way this story turned out. I'm glad that I posted this.


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